It isn’t often that the Dolphins have an intriguing fantasy football option this season but yet there is definitely one available to fans worth considering in Week 8. The play? Tight end Mike Gesicki versus the Steelers defense. Gesicki has finally started showing signs of life in 2019 after a slow rookie season in 2018, thanks in large part to the switch at quarterback that has put a more aggressive Ryan Fitzpatrick under center and able to maximize Gesicki’s catch radius up the field.
And against the Pittsburgh Steelers defense, opportunity is definitely knocking. The Steelers conceded nine receptions to opposing tight ends in each of their last two games against the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers. The Steelers conceded 9 receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns to Chargers tight ends in Week 6, their worst performance of the season.
Pittsburgh has since served their bye week and while the team may have ironed out some coverage issues in the middle of the field, the emergence of Gesicki (7 catches for 92 yards over the last two weeks) mixed with Pittsburgh’s issues covering tight ends makes for a sneaky good fantasy football play this week.
Of course, teams with elite tight ends should play their studs — but the tight end position in fantasy has been an odd one, this is a potential move based on opportunity and recent performance that could yield significant returns relative to the other options.
It’s also a move that could help keep the Dolphins competitive in this week’s contest. The Dolphins are going to be outgunned against the Steelers and will need some explosive plays to keep things interesting. The aggressiveness up the seam to Gesicki may help keep the Dolphins out of being backed up in their own territory and set them up for a few potential scores. And with Gesicki finally starting to haul these throws in, who knows? He may even find the end zone for the first time in his career.
